“We’re not.” He shoots me a naughty grin. “I have a surprise for you.”

“What kind of surprise?”

“A surprise surprise.” He rolls his eyes as he saunters into the bathroom. “But you’ll need to stop over at your place and pack a bag for the weekend!” He yells out at me.

“Okay, I’ll just go over there now, take a shower, and get ready.”

“No.”

My head whips up at the tone of his voice as he comes back into the room.

“No?”

He shakes his head and takes my hand in his. “We’ll be showering together.”

“Eli, I’m as adventurous as the next girl, but I don’t think I can go another round right now.”

He chuckles as he kisses my knuckles. “I can’t either, cher. But I’m not letting you out of my sight that long. Besides, it’s my mess. I should clean it up.”

“Well, when you put it like that…”

***

An hour later, we’re settled in Eli’s car and headed out into the Bayou.

“It’s amazing how, just a few minutes outside the city, we’re in the middle of nowhere.” I stare at the forests, the swamps, and wonder if there are alligators in the water.

“Not so different from most cities,” he reminds me. He links his fingers with mine and kisses my hand before resting them on his thigh.

“Where are we going?”

“I thought we’d spend the weekend at the Inn.”

“Oh, fun!” I grin and shimmy in my seat. “I’ve been dying to see it.”

“We’ll have my nosy sister and brother hanging around, but I think you’ll enjoy it.”

“You have such a great family.” I gaze over at him as he drives effortlessly down the interstate. “They may be nosy, but they love you.”

“Nosy,” he insists with a grin.

“If you hated it, you would have left long ago.”

His jaw clenches and his hand tightens on the wheel, but he takes a deep breath and finally nods. “True.”

I tilt my head and watch him closely. There’s something here he’s not telling me, but rather than pry, I leave it be for now and decide instead to start telling him a bit about my past.

“I got it after I left my ex-husband,” I say, and turn to look out the passenger window. “Because after being told every day that you’re not good enough, it’s easy to buy into it. But I’m not that person. I am enough.”

“You’re more than enough, cher.” He kisses my hand again. “Look at me.”

I turn to face him and am surprised to see him smiling.

“You’re a strong woman, Kate. Which is a good thing, because it takes a strong woman to put up with my family.”

He didn’t make it awkward. Or turn it into a long soul-searching conversation.

He simply accepts me.

“I love your family.”

He nods and changes lanes. “Tell me about your family.”

“I love them too.” I grin as I think of my ma and da. “My parents live in County Claire, Ireland.”

“Did you grow up in Ireland?”

“No. I grew up outside of Denver. My da got a job there before I was born, so he and Ma moved there. Had me. Then about three years later, my da’s brother and sister-in-law were killed in a car accident, leaving their son, Rhys, behind. So he came to live with us. He’s really more like my big brother than a cousin.”

“Rhys O’Shaughnessy? The baseball player?”

“Yes, that’s him. You watch baseball?”

“When I can. Sam loves baseball, thanks to Beau.”

“Where is Sam’s dad?” I ask, as Eli takes an exit off the freeway and we merge onto a two-lane highway, headed deeper into the bayou.

“He’s never met Sam.” Eli shrugs, then shakes his head. “Gabby got pregnant right out of high school. When the boyfriend found out, he cut out right quick.”

“That’s horrible.”

“It’s probably for the best. Sam is loved by a great family.”

“I agree with that, but it has to be hard for Gabby.”

“We help her,” he insists.

“Of course you do, but Eli, it’s not just about being a single mom. She’s single. I’m not saying that men make everything better, but I imagine she gets lonely. She has a young boy to care for, a business, and a large, successful family. She has a lot of responsibility.”

He rubs his hand over his lips, thinking. “True. I don’t think she’s dated since Sam was born.”

“Maybe she’s not interested, and it’s certainly none of my business, but I doubt it’s as easy as she wants all of you to believe it is.”

His eyes slide to mine. “You’re an intelligent woman, Kate.”

“Well, that we knew.” I laugh and lean over to press my lips to his shoulder. “I’m excited to see her inn.”

Chapter Eleven

Eli

“Oh, my God, Eli,” Kate gasps and grips my thigh with her strong hand. It’s the same tone she uses when she’s about to come, and it makes my cock twitch reflexively, but I just grin over at her in the passenger seat.

“Pretty, isn’t it?”

She turns her wide green eyes to me, her mouth dropped open, and then back to the plantation as we drive up to it. “Those oak trees are incredible! And the house! No wonder Gabby loves running this place. I’d never leave.”